Commissioning Service
Report given to First Baptist Church, Elizabeth City, NC –as part of a service of commissioning.
Heather said:
As many of you know, the call to ministry for me began in India nearly 3 ½ years ago. Upon my return to North Carolina, I was never able to shake the sites, sounds, and images of a place so devoid of hope. For the last several years, it has been a dream to return to India, along side my husband, David and serve in some context even for just a little while. We go from here, with God as our guide and First Baptist as our partners, longing to offer living water to the thirsty, to bring the bread of life to hungry, and to be the presence of Christ in every circumstance and to all that we meet. We are thankful for your prayers, your support, and your affirmation as we seek to follow God’s call.
—-David said:
When Heather came back from India the first time and told me of the poverty and hopelessness she saw- I knew she wanted to return and I had no idea what that met for me. I did not know if I would have anything to offer. It was like whoa God- what is going on here. Through learning to play the bass guitar in a short time, I realized that God equips his people for whatever task he calls them to do. Over the next several weeks, we will serve in many different ways. First, we will serve in Bangalore, India alongside CBF field personnel Cokie and Jay Westfall. During our time in Bangalore, we, along with other North Carolina Baptists, will lead a Vacation Bible School in an orphanage and conduct discipleship workshops for new Christians. We will also assist with the organization and hospitality at several medical camps that will the serve poor living in the slums of Bangalore.
Following our time in Bangalore, we will visit with an 11 year old girl named Sagina. Heather and I sponsor Sagina through Compassion International. We will be able to visit her home, meet her family, and just spend time with a little girl we have loved and prayed for from so far away. Before we leave, the children here at First Baptist will help us pack a suitcase for Sagina full of things like clothes, shampoo, toothpaste and even a puppet made with care and love by our own Helen Harris. The children will pray over each item as they pack the suitcase for Sagina this Wednesday night.
—-Heather Continued:
Following our time with Sagina, we are will travel to Patna, India near the boarder of Nepal. In Patna, we will conduct a Children’s Storytelling Camp at a local library. We like to think of it as an undercover VBS. This camp will involve children from several different religious backgrounds. Pray that we will bear witness to the light, in all that we say and do, as we will be surrounded by followers of other faiths. Even our hosts for this portion of the mission trip are Hindus.
Before returning home, we will journey to two important pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists. We plan to prayer walk and dialogue with as many people as possible around these pilgrimage sites. We hope to give out bottled water to beggars, offer candy to children selling things in streets, and perform other small acts with great love in the hopes that visitor to these pilgrimage sites will experience the love of Christ in a real and tangible way. During this part of the trip, a Muslim family that is very open to intereligious dialogue and discussion will host us. Pray that we will plant many seeds in their hearts.
While we are gone, you can follow this mission trip online at our website www.newsfromthewebbs.wordpress.com. Don’t worry if you missed that address, it will be printed in the next several bulletins and in May’s Elizabethan. This website will allow you to experience this journey with us, as our friends, as our partners, and as our family of faith. We love you all.
